27 Feb 2013

new album by Bowie hailed

10:26 pm on 27 February 2013

British critics said on Tuesday that David Bowie's new album - his first in a decade - shows he is back to his best.

The Next Day goes on sale in Britain on 11 March and a day later in the United States.

As well as a series of glowing reviews, this week also saw the launch of a second single from the album called The Stars (Are out Tonight) accompanied by a video starring Bowie and Tilda Swinton as his partner, Reuters reports.

In it, their daily routine is upset by the arrival of a group of mysterious, androgynous young things next door who enter their dreams and lives and reawaken old desires and fears.

"They burn you with their radiant smiles/Trap you with their beautiful eyes" Bowie sings in a reflection on fame and celebrity.

Several newspapers gave the album a track-by-track analysis and the first batch of reviews ranged from four to five stars.

"David Bowie's The Next Day may be the greatest comeback album ever," wrote Andy Gill of The Independent.

Neil McCormick of The Telegraph called it "an ... emotionally charged, musically jagged, electric bolt through his own mythos and the mixed-up, celebrity-obsessed, war-torn world of the 21st century."

Writing in The Guardian, Alexis Petridis, said: ''(it's) an album that's thought-provoking, strange and filled with great songs."

Songs singled out by critics included Valentine's Day, and Dancing Out In Space. Also the penultimate track You Feel So Lonely You Could Die.

Bowie shot to fame with Space Oddity in 1969 and later with his alter ego Ziggy Stardust. His last album of new material was Reality, which was released a decade ago.

He underwent emergency heart surgery while on tour in 2004.